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FC United women cook up baker's dozen without reply at Oldham

Despite a chances tally numbering in the twenties, the score was just 1-0 to FC at half time. A stirring mid-pitch half time team talk and a salvo of 12 without reply in the second half gave FC United women their biggest margin of victory so far this season, with a hat-trick each for leading scorer Hayley O’Hara and her strike partner Shellby Wolstencroft, allied to braces for Claire O’Reilly and Maya Germain. These were supplemented with strikes from Beth Tattersall, Olivia Greenhalgh and Olivia Smith to maintain the side’s 100% start to the season.

With the last vestiges of late summer sunshine left on the Salford City pitch 24 hours earlier, the biting easterly wind rushing off the shoulders of the Pennines announced that autumn was gaining the upper hand as FC United’s women and Oldham Athletic Ladies prepared to meet on the synthetic surface at Oldham’s Chapel Road ground.

Silhouetted against the darkening clouds, the looming presence of the chimney spired Devon and Durban Mills; a stark reminder of Oldham’s industrial heritage, overlooked the pitch as a respectful silence, signalled by the referee, descended in memory of PCs Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone who were killed in the line of duty earlier in the week.

An even start to the game saw early opening exchanges; arguably the best of which fell to Oldham’s centre forward Lauren Steel through on goal only for Amy Gillingham to dive bravely at her opponent’s feet thwarting the danger. FC soon settled into their stride but frustratingly, chance after chance went begging and with 36 minutes played and the game still goalless, FC conservatively led the opportunities tally 17-2. With regular left back Lucy Golding parting company with the club in the last week, the versatile and consistently impressive Claire O’Reilly slotted into the role to good effect.

On 37 minutes, having worked the left flank superbly with Maya Germain, O’Reilly took charge of a loose ball and drove at pace into the area, firing a fierce shot from a tight angle that was too hard to handle for the hitherto impressive Dominique Marshall in the Oldham goal, as the ball diverted through her attempted two handed parry into the roof of the net. The remainder of the half only served to increase FC’s chances tally without any further impression on the score line.

As Oldham headed for the sanctuary of the dressing room, FC congregated mid pitch as the coaches imparted their half time wisdom before leaving to allow captain Gillingham the last word to her outfield colleagues before FC began second half proceedings. From the off, United’s intensity seemed more focussed on an end product with O’Reilly going close and only three minutes in, Hayley O’Hara doubled the lead as she stole beyond the Oldham back line to gather a lobbed Shellby Wolstencroft through ball to place a powerful shot beyond Marshall from just inside the area.

This early setback seemed to negate the Oldham half time team talk and their shattered demeanour only served to draw United onwards, as O’Reilly grabbed her second and FC’s third as she ran across her defenders from a Germain corner to tuck the ball away comfortably at the near post on 52 minutes. O’Reilly returned the compliment just minutes later as she released Germain down the left to outstrip the Oldham defence and blast her effort goalwards from 12 yards leaving Marshall with no chance for United’s fourth of the afternoon. The next five minutes served up no further goals but first Wolstencroft with a fierce 25 yard free kick and then Beth Hayes working her way into the area from the right to force the keeper to save low down at full stretch, came close. That was to prove Hayes’ last contribution of the game as she made way for the debut competitive appearance of Kayleigh Catterall, FC’s leading scorer from pre season.

Striker Olivia Smith, playing in the unaccustomed position of centre half, skilfully floated a free kick into the path of Amy Battel marauding forward from right back who drove a powerful shot that the keeper could only parry at her near post into the danger area and the grateful path of O’Hara who in turn fired into the centre of goal from close range for FC’s fifth on 63 minutes.

By now a completely demoralised and depleted Oldham side were staring down the barrel of a rout as FC showed little mercy scoring a sixth on 65 minutes as O’Hara completed her hatrick with a simple tap in at the far post followed a minute later by Germain’s second and FC’s seventh cutting in from the left and firing beyond Marshall. Number eight followed in the 70th minute after Kirsty Chambers had replaced Germain on the left. The substitute produced an instant reward as her cross was met by O’Reilly whose drive crashed off the underside of the bar and bounced up in the six yard box. Wolstencroft was the first to react and bravely diverted the ball with a diving header through the melee of bodies and into the bottom corner.

Far from settling for eight goals, FC went straight back on the attack as the game recommenced and a Catterall free kick found O’Reilly on the left. Her deep cross from the bye line found its way to Battel on the right who cut a ball back for Beth Tattersall to race onto and fire first time to score her first for the club and United’s ninth of the afternoon. On 78 minutes United reached double figures for the second time this season as Chambers showed a clean pair of heels to two defenders down the left and fired an accurate low cross into the box for the unmarked Wolstencroft to pick her spot and slot the ball beyond the despairing dive of Marshall for her second of the match.

Arguably the goal of the game and FC’s eleventh came as Olivia Greenhalgh purposefully connected with a loose ball straying from the Oldham area hoisting a lofted drive into the top right corner of the goal from fully 25 yards. The twelfth came four minutes from the end of the 90 as Wolstencroft wrapped up the club’s fastest female hat-trick to date (16 minutes: just a minute faster than O’Hara’s earlier in the game) as she steered a low shot under the keeper’s dive. Marshall, hurt in the act of diving, swapped shirts with Morgan Leech and bravely played out the final minutes in defence, preventing an almost certain goal with an excellent, well timed challenge on Chambers inside the six yard box.

Deep into stoppage time, Smith wrapped up the scoring, reacting first to a loose ball on the edge of the area and striking a hard low effort beyond the stand-in keeper. Urged from the sidelines to not finish on a score of ’unlucky for some’ 13, FC tried in vain to add to their tally but to no avail and only being a moderate concern to the very superstitious, the result finished Oldham Athletic 0, FC United 13.

The result keeps United second in the table on goal difference to AFC Oldham who continued their 12-goal-a-game average beating Heyside Angels 15-3, with Manchester City having only played two games so far lying third with six points. Next up for FC’s women is a home clash v Curzon Ashton next Sunday (30 September, 2pm kick off) as the same afternoon sees the league’s first big clash of the campaign as high flying AFC Oldham entertain third placed Manchester City. Get yourselves along to Broadhurst Fields to support the side in their quest for the league’s top spot.

Report by Rob Fullen

Player of the match:

No6 Olivia Greenhalgh - another unfussy performance in midfield and a superb strike as just reward for all her endeavours. Maya Germain was voted FC player of the match by Oldham’s officials as she was by Ashton’s last week.

FC United of Manchester Women: 13 (1)

1. Amy Gillingham - goalkeeper and captain
2. Amy Battel - right back
18. Claire O’Reilly - left back: goals 37, 52
4. Francesca Davies - centre half
5. Olivia Smith - centre half: goal 90 +3
6. Olivia Greenhalgh - centre midfield: goal 82
8. Maya Germain - left midfield: goals 55, 66
9. Shellby Wolstencroft - centre forward: goals 70, 78, 86
10. Beth Tattersall - right midfield: goal 75
12. Hayley O’Hara - centre forward: goals 48, 63, 65
17. Beth Hayes - centre midfield

Subs:
7. Kayleigh Catterall - centre midfield: for No17 62 mins
11. Kirsty Chambers - left midfield - (for No8 69 mins)

Oldham Athletic Ladies: 0 (0)

1. Dominique Marshall (captain)
14. Anna Allport
3. Kim Shaw
4. Sarah Mullen
5. Danielle Martin
15. Cheredith Green
7. Shelby Newton
8. Ginny Bennett
9.Yasmin Deane
18. Sophie Neal
16. Lauren Steel

Subs:
12. Morgan Leech
10. Gemma Smith

Attendance (despite clashing with United’s visit to Anfield): Approx 42.



First Posted ~ 23:17 Sun 23 Sep 2012
News ID ~ 4452
Last Updated ~ 01:52 Tue 16 Feb 2021